Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Candice Wiggins

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Nicaragua
  • 2014  –  Chile
  • 2018  –  Algeria

Candice Wiggins is the new Sports Director of Basketball (Girl’s Chair) for the Southern Pacific region of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). She will be operating clinics, leagues, tournaments and national qualifiers primarily in the Los Angeles area of the region.

After spending 12 seasons participating as a professional athlete, including a WNBA championship with the Minnesota Lynx in 2011 and concluding with the New York Liberty in 2015, Candice “Coach Ice” knows what first made her life successful on the court: AAU Basketball. In 2000, her team NJB All-Stars won the coveted 13U Girls title at the Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando. The following year she was featured on the Disney Channel original program Totally Hoops.

A coach at heart, Candice plans to provide her service to an important sports institution, and welcomes people of all ages into the revolutionary sports platform provided by the AAU.

Alana Beard

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Philippines

WNBA Champion (2016)
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018)
WNBA All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
All-WNBA Second Team (2006)
WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2007, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018)
WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2006, 2009, 2014)
Most career steals among active players (697)
All-time steals leader in Washington Mystics history
No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft (Washington)
First woman to win the John R. Wooden, State Farm Wade Trophy and Naismith Player of the Year Awards
Duke’s first National Player of the Year and three-time ACC Player of the Year

Alex Shibutani

Ice Dancing

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  South Korea
  • 2018  –  Japan
  • 2019  –  Japan

Maia and Alex Shibutani, known to audiences around the world as the “ShibSibs,” are the sister-brother ice dancing duo who captured two Olympic bronze medals at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Their dedication and hard work, skating together for 14 years, paid off as they became the first U.S. team of siblings to earn an Olympic medal in ice dancing and the first in the world to do so since 1992. The Shibutanis also made history in South Korea as the first ice dancers of Asian descent to claim an Olympic medal.

Maia, born in NYC and Alex, born in Boston, MA, spent their early years growing up in Boston, MA and Old Greenwich, CT. Maia and Alex decided to take up ice dancing when she was 9 and he was 12 after their family traveled to Washington, D.C., to see the 2003 World Championships. They were so enthralled by the ice dancing competition that they became a team shortly afterward.

During their first year competing, they earned a silver medal at the U.S. Junior Championships (2005) at the Juvenile level. From 2006-2007, they lived and trained in Colorado Springs, and won unprecedented back-to-back National titles at the Intermediate (2006) and Novice levels (2007). As they advanced to the Junior level, they relocated to Michigan to train alongside the top ice dance teams in the world. They debuted internationally with a gold at their first Junior Grand Prix at the ages of 14 and 17. They won silver medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships, and the Junior ice dance title at the 2010 U.S. Championships.

Upon advancing to the senior level, Maia and Alex made a historic debut on the international circuit in 2010, becoming the first ice dance team ever to medal at both of their Grand Prix events during a rookie season. By earning a silver medal at the 2011 Four Continents Championship, they became the first ice dancers of Asian heritage to medal at a major ISU championship. During the 2011 World Championships, they became the first American ice dancers to medal at their Worlds debut. At just 16 and 19, they were the second youngest team in the history of the sport (and youngest since 1962) to medal at the World Championships. They secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, competing at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, competing as the second youngest team in the field and placing ninth.

Maia and Alex went on to win the national crown in both 2016 and 2017. Maia and Alex are the only ice dance team to medal at every level of national competition over consecutive years, standing on the podium at each of the 14 years that they have competed. A gold medal at the 2016 Four Continents Championships marked their first ISU Championship title. They returned to the World Championships medal podium, earning a silver medal in 2016 and the bronze in 2017. Their bronze-performance secured three spots for the United States at the 2018 Olympic Games.

Maia Shibutani

Ice Dancing

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  South Korea
  • 2018  –  Japan
  • 2019  –  Japan

Maia and Alex Shibutani, known to audiences around the world as the “ShibSibs,” are the sister-brother ice dancing duo who captured two Olympic bronze medals at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Their dedication and hard work, skating together for 14 years, paid off as they became the first U.S. team of siblings to earn an Olympic medal in ice dancing and the first in the world to do so since 1992. The Shibutanis also made history in South Korea as the first ice dancers of Asian descent to claim an Olympic medal.

Maia, born in NYC and Alex, born in Boston, MA, spent their early years growing up in Boston, MA and Old Greenwich, CT. Maia and Alex decided to take up ice dancing when she was 9 and he was 12 after their family traveled to Washington, D.C., to see the 2003 World Championships. They were so enthralled by the ice dancing competition that they became a team shortly afterward.

During their first year competing, they earned a silver medal at the U.S. Junior Championships (2005) at the Juvenile level. From 2006-2007, they lived and trained in Colorado Springs, and won unprecedented back-to-back National titles at the Intermediate (2006) and Novice levels (2007). As they advanced to the Junior level, they relocated to Michigan to train alongside the top ice dance teams in the world. They debuted internationally with a gold at their first Junior Grand Prix at the ages of 14 and 17. They won silver medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships, and the Junior ice dance title at the 2010 U.S. Championships.

Upon advancing to the senior level, Maia and Alex made a historic debut on the international circuit in 2010, becoming the first ice dance team ever to medal at both of their Grand Prix events during a rookie season. By earning a silver medal at the 2011 Four Continents Championship, they became the first ice dancers of Asian heritage to medal at a major ISU championship. During the 2011 World Championships, they became the first American ice dancers to medal at their Worlds debut. At just 16 and 19, they were the second youngest team in the history of the sport (and youngest since 1962) to medal at the World Championships. They secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, competing at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, competing as the second youngest team in the field and placing ninth.

Maia and Alex went on to win the national crown in both 2016 and 2017. Maia and Alex are the only ice dance team to medal at every level of national competition over consecutive years, standing on the podium at each of the 14 years that they have competed. A gold medal at the 2016 Four Continents Championships marked their first ISU Championship title. They returned to the World Championships medal podium, earning a silver medal in 2016 and the bronze in 2017. Their bronze-performance secured three spots for the United States at the 2018 Olympic Games.

Jennifer Jo Cobb

Motor Sports

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Georgia

Jennifer Jo Cobb is a professional racecar driver, NASCAR team owner, public speaker, entrepreneur and a corporate spokesperson. Jennifer began racing at the grassroots level of NASCAR in Kansas City in 1991. She has recently accomplished several historical feats in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series incuding: highest finishing female driver in the overall points for a season (2010); highest finish by a female driver in the series (6th place, 2011); most starts by a female driver in the series (50+ 2012) and she holds the highest place finish in a race event by a woman in any NASCAR series at the famous Daytona International Speedway.

Jennifer’s dream of being a racecar driver began when she was just 8 years old and she has climbed the ranks of auto racing despite the odds against her. Off the track, Jennifer is a business professional with media, marketing and advertising experience. She has co-hosted a television program on Time Warner’s Metro Sports TV called Inside Motorsports and had a feature that appeared weekly on the home page of NASCAR.com called All Access with JJC.

She currently competes in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series’. Jennifer is enjoying a successful speaking career comprised of her combined racing and business experience while continuing her ambition to one day compete at NASCAR’s top level, the Sprint Cup Series.

In 2011 she launched Driven2Honor (www.Driven2Honor.org), a non-profit to recognize the efforts and plights of our female military members. Driven2Honor honors a female military member (past or current) with a VIP behind-the-scenes experience at every NASCAR event in which she competes. Driven2Honor is raising funds to help house homeless female veterans.

Trooper Johnson

Wheelchair Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2015  –  Russia
  • 2016  –  Algeria
  • 2016  –  Morocco
  • 2018  –  Kuwait

Coach Johnson is a legendary NWBA member, showcase in the iconic symbol of the NWBA, as a NWBA Hall of Famer and Paralympian. As an athlete, Johnson is the only U.S. player to compete on 15 National Teams (1990-2004), and is widely acknowledged as the most prolific three-point shooter in NWBA history. His shooting accuracy led Team USA to the top of the medal platform for a total of nine gold medals and one silver medal. He also has two bronze medals as an athlete at the 1996 and 2000 Paralympic Games, and was a member of the 1992 and 2004 U.S. Paralympic teams.

Professionally, Johnson is the Sports Program Coordinator for the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program in California, which includes being the head coach of the Junior Road Warriors Wheelchair Basketball Team. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Northern California Olympians & Paralympians. Johnson first found the sport of wheelchair basketball after being involved in a car accident at the age of 17 that left him paralyzed. After that, wheelchair basketball was all he knew. Coach Johnson resides in San Lorenzo, California. He and his wife, Megan, have a son Max, and triplets, Hank, Sam and Sophia.

Karin Korb

Wheelchair Tennis

Served as envoy

  • 2015  –  Bulgaria
  • 2015  –  Hungary
  • 2015  –  Romania
  • 2018  –  Venezuela

Karin Korb didn’t pick up a tennis racquet until she was 27 years old. Yet, a year later, she was among the top four women wheelchair tennis players in the world and playing in the World Team Cup, the Fed Cup of wheelchair tennis.

She serves on multiple boards including the Alabama FBI Citizens Academy, a Friend of Mind, Baseline Tennis, America Walks, the Alabama Disability Advocacy Program, the Is-Able Organization’s Advisory Board and the International Tennis Federation’s Player Council. She was awarded the 2018 Athletes in Excellence award by the Foundation for Global Sports Development which recognizes elite-level athletes who have dedicated themselves to bettering their local and global communities through mentorship, service, and volunteerism. Her career in both advocacy and policy has spanned over three decades, and she is fiercely committed to creating a more equitable future for all.

Estelle Johnson

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Trinidad and Tobago

Estelle Johnson is a Cameroonian professional soccer player who plays for the Sky Blue FC and the Cameroon women’s national team. Prior to her joining Sky Blue, she played for Philadelphia Independence, Sydney FC (Australia’s W League) and Washington Spirit.

She earned all-conference first team honors as a freshman, sophomore, and junior and was named all-state during her junior and senior year. Johnson played for the University of Kansas Jayhawks from 2006-09. During her time at Kansas, she was named to the BIG 12 All-Newcomer Team and was picked for the Cal Invitational All-Tournament Team.

She was selected by the Los Angeles Sol during the 2010 WPS Draft but later signed on with Philadelphia Independence where she started 15 out of 17 games.

Jim Cleamons

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Algeria
  • 2019  –  Tanzania

Jim Cleamons, who was born in Lincolnton, NC and moved to Ohio before high school, played nine NBA seasons and later became a NBA assistant coach and head coach, most famously assisting legendary head coach Phil Jackson during three-peats with the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993 and with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 to 2002.

A standout at Columbus, Ohio’s Linden-McKinley High after moving from Lincolnton, Cleamons was a four-year starter at Ohio State from 1967 to 1971, beginning his career on the Buckeyes’ freshman team before three years on the varsity.

Playing for legendary coach Fred Taylor, Cleamons scored 1,335 career points in 72 varsity games and capped his career as the Buckeyes’ captain and an All-Big Ten selection in 1971 when the team finished 20-6 and lost in the Elite Eight to Western Kentucky.

A first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971, Cleamons played on a 1972 NBA championship team before helping the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first-ever playoff appearance in 1976 while also earning All-NBA defense honor in 1976. Cleamons later capped a nine-year NBA career that lasted 652 games with the New York Knicks and Washington Bullets (now Wizards).

In 1982, Cleamons began a 34-year coaching career that took him to college at Furman (1982-83), Ohio State (1983-87) and Youngstown State (1987-89) and eventually the pros with the Chicago Bulls (1989-96), Dallas Mavericks (1996-97), Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2004), New Orleans Hornets (2004-06), Los Angeles Lakers (2006-11), Milwaukee Bucks (2013-14) and New York Knicks (2014-16) of the NBA, the Chicago Condors (1998-99) of the American Basketball League and the Zhejiang Guangsha (2011-12) of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Cleamons’ time with Youngstown State and the Mavericks was as a head coach.

Cherokee Parks

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Philippines

A 6 ft 11 in (211 cm), 240 lb (109 kg) center, Parks played his college basketball at Duke University under coach Mike Krzyzewski and won the 1992 national title during his freshman year. After college, he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1st round (12th overall pick) of the 1995 NBA Draft. In his ten season NBA career (1995–2004), he played for the Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Vancouver Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, and Golden State Warriors. He averaged career-highs of 7.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game during the 1997–98 season with Minnesota. Parks came out of retirement in 2011 to play in France.